Blaze
by DarkMoon1301
Summary: Harry and Hermione face Voldemort together, but who will live? HHr
1. Prolouge

**Disclaimer: Still own nothing, sadly. **

**Okay, so, I wrote chapter one before this, so it may be a little off. And I have no idea where it's going, so deal with it. -smile-**

**Prolouge **

The end was near. He could feel it. The power coursing through him was proof. He was even more powerful now than he was before his downfall. Before he caused him to become weak. Before _Potter._ The name made him sneer. It made him want to torture and kill him, make him wish he'd never been born, make him wish his filthy mudblood mother had never protected him.

He'd been watching Harry for a while. Waiting to find his weakness, the perfect way to torture him. His waiting had paid off. He had found Harry's weakness. And now...

He knew just how to kill him.

**Okay, there's the beginning. Let me know what you think.**

**DM1301**


	2. Fire

**Disclaimer: Still nothing is owned.**

**The first paragraph is how this all started out. I was writing about randomness, and decided to make it into a story! Enjoy!**

**Fire**

He didn't know when this burning passion had been ignited in him, but in that space of time between then and now, it had consumed him. He had stayed in control so far, but he didn't know how much longer he could do so. The flame begged to fed. He didn't know how much longer he could deny it. He wanted to give in, oh he did. He would love nothing more than to take her in his arms and let that flame burst into a full blown blaze, overtaking not only every cell in his body, but in hers as well. But he couldn't. She'd never forgive him. He'd ruin the friendship they had steadily built. It was a delicate tower of cards. One wrong move, and it could all come tumbling down. He narrowed his eyes. _'It's a good thing I don't have time to make that move,'_ he thought.

He was busy preparing. The fateful day was coming where it would be decided.; decided if light or dark ruled their world. She was beside him, of course. She always had been. Even when Ron had left. That's one reason why he loved her so much.

"Harry, are you ready to go?" She poked her head inside the tent. He looked upset over something. She walked in and sat beside him. "Harry," she said quietly, "what's wrong?" Harry looked up at her. Before he could stop himself, he said it all outloud.

"I love someone. And now, because of all this, I have to leave her behind. And I don't know if I can."

"Harry, I doubt she'd want you to leave her behind. Judging by the feeling behind what you say, you know her, which means she knows you. And she wouldn't want you to leave her behind."

"How can you be sure?" Harry whispered, his eyes boring into hers. She smiled.

"Because you're worth it. Now," she stood up, "let's get going." She put out her hand to help him up. "The others are waiting." He took her hand and stood up beside her. She hugged him. "It'll be okay, you'll see." She let go of him, smiled at him, and walked out of the tent.

"But how can you know Hermione?" Harry walked out of the tent and put on a face for the others gathered outside.

**Well, there it is. Wala.**

**DM1301**


	3. News

**Disclaimer: Still nothing is owned.**

**Okay, chapter two! It's gunna be slow for a couple chapters because I'm still forming ideas for what I want. If you have any ideas for what you would like to see, let me know! On we go!**

**News**

Everyone was outside. Remus, Tonks, Mr. Weasley, Mad-Eye, and many others. There was a table in the center of the gathering with a map on it.

"Voldemort is here." Remus said, pointing to a remote location on the map.

"How do we know?" asked someone.

"The last time we came in contact with him, Hermione placed a tracking charm on him. It's very difficult to discover. We think Voldemort still hasn't figured out it's on him." Harry looked at Hermione, this news would please her. But instead of finding her blushing with all the praise, he found her looking odd. Her eyes were unfocused, and she looked concentrated on whatever it was she was thinking about. Her gaze, though unfocused, had a steel quality to it. It scared Harry a little, he wasn't used to seeing Hermione so... deadly. He focused back on what Remus was saying.

"It would be ideal if we could attack within the next couple weeks. He's focused on something. We're not really sure what, but if he can stay focused on it long enough, we'll have the element of surprise." Everyone in the group nodded. They needed to take Voldemort down, and fast.

"Well, we need to get moving. We're going to split up. Harry and Hermione are going one way, and we're going another." Everyone looked outraged. "What? Why? Harry's just a boy! You're practically handing him to Voldemort!"

"Calm down!" yelled Remus. "Hermione suggested it. You need to trust her. She thinks Voldemort will try and take us first in order to prevent us from coming to Harry's aid when Voldemort takes him. If he takes him," He amended. People were still outraged.

Hermione surprised everyone by speaking. "Voldemort will want Harry at his weakest. And at his weakest, he wouldn't have any of us. I'm going with Harry because he needs someone there, and Voldemort will not see me as a threat. Now if no one has a problem with this, then we need to be going." No one argued with Hermione.

"Alright then let's move out." Remus said. Everyone left to go pack up what little they had brought with them. Remus walked over to Harry and Hermione. "Be safe, both of you. I don't want to lose either of you."

"We will be," they promised. "Hermione will keep track of me." Harry joked. He put his arm around Hermione and hugged her to his side. Remus smiled.

"Good. Well, I'll see you soon then." Remus hugged them both, and then all the others apparated away to God knows where. Harry and Hermione were all alone.

Harry turned to Hermione. "You don't have to come with me you know." Hermione smiled.

"Of course I do Harry. We need each other." Harry frowned.

"You don't need me." he said. "You're the brightest witch I've ever met. Why would you need me? It's me who needs you!" Hermione shook her head.

"Harry, I will always need you. Trust me." Hermoine hugged him and laid her head on his chest. Harry hugged her back. _'I love this.'_ he thought. _'I don't ever want this to end. I'll protect her, no matter what.'_ he promised himself. He felt Hermione loosen her hold on him. He looked at her.

"Come Harry, let's get some sleep, you need it." She led him back in the tent and sat him on his bed. He laid down. Hermione pulled the covers over him and took his glasses off his face and set them on the bedside table. "Comfortable?" Harry nodded, not trusting his voice. "Good." she said. She swiftly bent down and kissed Harry's forehead. "Sleep tight." And Harry feel asleep to the sounds of Hermione cleaning up and getting ready for their departure the next morning.

**Okay, end of this chapter. Remember, any ideas, let me know. Bye!**

**DM1301**


	4. Travel

**Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, do you really think I'd be here? Uh, no, I'd be vacationing in the Bahamas.**

**Here's chapter 3 of Blaze.**

**DM1301**

**Travel**

The next morning dawned grey and cloudy. The sun could barely be made out through the clouds. Harry had been shaken awake by Hermione in the wee hours of the morning so they could head on their way. He, of course, thought it was too early to have opened eyes, let alone actually walk anywhere. Hermione, on the other hand, had thought that they should get a move on as early as possible.

"Hermione, where are we going?"

"I can't tell you Harry." Hermione held up her map and walked in a half circle with a Muggle compass, determining if they were going in the right direction. She determined that they now were, and headed off in the determined direction. Harry was quick to follow.

"Why not Hermione? I mean, this IS my job, you know destroy Voldemort and everything."

Hermione didn't even glance up from the map as she spoke. "Because Harry, Voldemort can see into your mind, not mine. Therefore, it makes more sense that I determine where we are going, not you." As usual, Harry could find no flaw in her logic, so he just followed her faithfully.

After about an hour more of walking, Harry's scar started to itch. As time progressed, it began to hurt, and the pain rose steadily. He kept rubbing it. _'Why is my scar hurting?'_ he wondered. _'Hermione said Voldemort was focused on something. Surely I can't be it otherwise he would've come after us by now.' _As he was musing, he had stopped and was now standing still by a lake. Hermione was oblivious to his pause.

"If we continue in this direction for one-" Hermione noticed Harry was not with her. She looked around and saw him behind her. Walking up to him she said, "Harry, what's the matter?"

"Nothing." Harry quickly replied. _'A little too quickly.'_ thought Hermione.

"Harry Potter," Hermione said, putting her hands on her hips, "you know darn well that I know you better than that. Now what's the matter? Is it your scar?"

"Hermione, it's nothing to worry-" Harry let out a shriek of pain and fell to the ground. He writhed in pain as his scar burned more intensely than it ever had.

"Harry! Harry!" screamed Hermione. She sat on the ground and shook him. "Harry! Talk to me!" But her cries were useless. Harry had suddenly become unconscious.

Several hours passed as Harry lay unconscious. Hermione had put up a tent and set up a bed for Harry. He was now laying on it, perfectly still, as he had been all day. Hermione hadn't left his side. She put cool cloths on his forehead when he was hot, and put a blanket over him when he began to shiver. She kept hold of his hand the entire time just in case he woke up. She had no idea what to do other than that. No medical book she had ever read had prepared her for this. From what she could tell, Harry had no reason to be out cold, and nothing was working to bring him back.

"Harry, you need to come back. I don't know what to do without you you know. I'll have nothing to fight for if you leave." Hermione talked to Harry until she fell asleep still sitting by his bed, holding his hand.

Harry woke up with a start. His eyes flew wildly around and he was breathing heavily. His glasses weren't on, but he could tell this was the tent Hermione and he were using for their trip. He felt pressure on his hand and stomach and glanced down. There he could make out a bushy head. Hermione. He scooped her up quickly in his arms and held her there. He woke her up.

"Harry? Harry! You're back! What's been going on?"

"Please don't die Hermione, please don't die." Harry mumbled into her hair.

"What? Harry, what in the world are you talking about?"

"Please don't die, I don't want to lose you." Harry kept saying. She realized he was crying. She hugged him as much as she could.

"Harry, I'm not going anywhere, I promise. Now let me loose so we can talk. Who says I'm going to die?" Harry let her go and leaned back a little. He still held her arms tight, and his voice was wavery as he spoke.

"Voldemort."

**Done with this chapter. -smiles-**

**DM1301**


	5. Cross My Heart

**Disclaimer: Well... I'm still in Virginia under 30+ inches of snow... so if you're guessing I don't own HP, you'd be right!**

**Hello all, yes, I did say THIRTY plus inches of snow. I'm in the middle of the blizzard of 2010. Yay me! I don't think I'll be leaving my house for the next few days, so this is just gunna keep on a coming. I bet you're all happy! Haha. Please let me know if you have any ideas for what'd you'd like to see happen in the story. And don't worry idonotspeaksportscar, I won't be killing off a bunch of major characters, maybe only one. I hate killing my characters! Haha. Well, off we go on this next chapter! Whee!**

**DM1301**

**Cross My Heart**

"I can sense his fear. Yes. Nagini, we will be free soon enough. I can feel it. Potter is trembling at the thought of losing his precious little mudblood." Voldemort chuckled. "Dumbledore thought Potter could beat me. What a fool. Soon enough, Potter will be rotting in his grave, just like his precious mentor." Voldemort laughed evilly, a laugh that would send chills up your spine and make your hair stand on end.

A timid voice spoke from the dark. "M-M-Master Voldem-m-mort?"

"What is it?" Voldemort snarled. He did not like his daydreams of killing Potter to be interuppted.

"P-P-Potter's friends, the elder ones, have s-s-split up from him. T-T-They've gone their own direction." This news somewhat surprised Voldemort. Leaving Potter alone with the useless mudblood? They should've known that would not be wise. Oh well, this would just make it easier to finish all of them off.

"Send them... a little greeting party. I wouldn't want them to think I'm ignoring them, isn't that right Nagini?" Voldemort said, petting his precious snake.

"Y-Y-Yes, m-m-my lord." The servent backed out the room and went to do his master's bidding.

------ ------

"Remus, we're lost. You've got us lost you fool."

"Oh shut up Moody, I know exactly where we are."

"Oh really? Where?"

"England." Stifled laughter could be heard from the group.

"Shut up you smartarse." Remus smiled an innocent smile.

"I do my best."

The group being led by Remus and Moody was currently wandering in circles in the middle of nowhere. None of them were accustomed to Muggle maps and compasses. Mr. Weasley was of course the only one having any semblence of fun due to their use of Muggle items, but it was quickly wearing on him.

"Why aren't we using magic again?" someone asked.

Without looking up from the map, Remus replied, "Because Hermione told us not to." Mutterings were heard around the group. Many didn't think they should be listening to an 18 year old girl of all people. After all, they were grown witches and wizards who had ten times more experience than her. But whenever someone brought it up, Tonks would quickly retort, "And how many times have YOU saved Harry's life? That's right, never." and the complaints would cease.

"Everyone be quiet." Moody's voice had a deadly tone to it, so everyone immediately became quiet as death. Moody straighted and took out his wand. "We have visitors." Everyone else followed suit and took out their wands and stood with their backs to each other in a circle.

"Well well, what a cute little party we have here." A deatheater emerged from the trees, followed by at least ten more.

"Malfoy." Moody said the name as if it were an unforgiveable curse.

Lucius Malfoy smiled. "So glad to see you remember me Mad-Eye."

"What do you want Malfoy?" asked Remus.

Malfoy turned to Remus. "Voldemort wanted us to welcome you. He didn't want you thinking he was rude for ignoring you. Forgive him for not coming himself, he's quite busy you know. However, he does send his regards."

"Tell him he can shove his regards right up his bony little-"

"Moody!" Remus turned back to Malfoy. "Are we going to fight, or talk?"

Malfoy inspected his fingernails, as if he were bored. "Kill them." His deatheaters moved from around him like wolves stalking their prey. Remus, Moody, Tonks, and the others took steady stances, ready for whatever was going to come.

----- ------

"Harry, Voldemort is not going to kill me."

"Hermione, you didn't see what I saw." Tears began to once again leak out of Harry's eyes. The thought of losing her was too much to bear.

"Harry. Calm down love. Tell me what you saw." Harry looked at her. She looked determined to find out.

"You were in a stone room..." he began. His mind flashed back to his all too real nightmare.

_Harry walked into a stone room. Against the farthest wall hung Hermione. She was held up by chains around her wrists. She looked lifeless._

"_Hermione!" Harry ran to her. He put his hand on either side of her face and lifted her face up. "Hermione. Speak to me. Please." His voice was a wavering plead._

"_Harry?" Hermione's voice was weak, but it was there._

"_Hermione! Hermione, who did this to you? Was it Voldemort?"_

"_Harry, I don't- I don't think I can-" Harry cut her off._

"_Don't you dare Hermione. You'll make it out of here alive, if it's the last thing I do." His voice was sharp steel. Harry made to release her from her chains when he heard an all too familiar voice._

"_Tsk, tsk, Potter. Did you really think it would be this easy? You should know better by now." Harry turned to see Voldemort looking relaxed, almost bored._

_Harry's eyes narrowed to mere slits. "Voldemort, you let her go. This is just between me and you, she has nothing to do with it."_

"_On the contrary Potter, she has everything to do with it. She's your best friend. I wonder what you'd do without her..." Harry wondered what Voldemort would do. Surely he wouldn't kill her just yet, this was just getting started. Suddenly, Hermione's screams pierced the air. Harry spun around to see her body convulsing with pain. Her face was facing the ceiling, twisted in agony. He spun to fave Voldemort once more. Voldemort smiled, a chilling, evil smile._

"_Don't worry Harry, there's much more to come. And when I'm done, she'll be dead, and you'll be all alone."_

"And that's when I woke up." Tears still trickled down Harry's face. Hermione was silent for a minute. She got up from her place beside Harry on the bed.

"Would you like some tea Harry?" Harry looked at her incredulously.

"Hermione, how can you want tea at a time like this? Didn't you just hear what I told you? Voldemort wants you dead." Hermione scoffed.

"Harry, he's wanted me dead for years, and he's never succeeded." Harry felt angry.

"Hermione. Listen to what I'm saying. He wants to torture you and kill you. You should leave and let me handle this on my own." Hermione whirled around.

"I will never, under _any_ circumstances, leave you alone Harry James Potter. Voldemort torturing and killing me is the least of my problems, and it should be the least of yours."

"What? Why?" Harry was furious. He didn't understand. Did she want to die?

"There are worse things Voldemort could do than torture and kill me Harry." She looked saddened all of a sudden. "You're my best friend Harry, don't make me leave." She walked to him and put her hands on either side of his face. "I know you don't want to lose me. I know you're scared because you've lost most anyone you've gotten close to." Harry flinched at the reminder of his parents and Sirius. "But you need to trust me Harry." She searched his eyes. "Can you do that? Can you trust that I'll take of myself? I want to help you Harry, you don't need to face this alone." Hermione hugged him.

"Hermione, you're the smartest witch I know. I'm well aware you can take care of yourself. But I can't lose you." His eyes became glassy. Hermione looked up at him.

"Harry, you'll never lose me."

"....Promise?" asked Harry.

"I promise."

"Cross your heart?"

"Cross my heart," Hermione said with a smile.

**Done with this chapter. -smiles- I like it. Whatchu think?**

**DM1301**


	6. Musings

**Disclaimer: Still don't own it. Obviously. **

**Hello! Sorry this took so long, writer's block is a nasty thing. Enjoy!**

**DM1301**

**Musings**

Curses were flying everywhere. There was no way to tell what was coming from a Deatheater or from a light fighter. But everyone knew where to aim, and that's all that was important for now.

Lucius Malfoy was the biggest target. Every light fighter was trying to get to him. But, mysteriously, no one could find him.

"MOODY!" yelled Remus in between curses. "Where's Malfoy?"

"_Expelliarmus!_" Moody shot a Deatheater's wand out of his hand. "I haven't seen the fool since the fight began! He probably left!"

Suddenly, popping noises were heard everywhere as the Deatheaters apparated away for no apparent reason. After a moment of confusion, the light fighters cheered for their victory. Remus and Moody met in the center.

"Any dead?" asked Moody gruffly.

"None, surprisingly we held our own." replied Remus. "We'd better get moving though, we may not be so lucky next time."

Remus and Moody called out to everyone and, after making sure all wounds were taken care of, headed off in their quest once again.

"Why do you think Malfoy left?"

Moody took a moment to ponder. "Probably saw he was losing and left to cover himself. Or... he's planning something." Moody's comment left the group to ponder in silence as they walked.

Hermione lay awake that night, thinking about Harry's nightmare. She could hear Harry snoring softly just feet away from her. _'I hope he sleeps soundly tonight, he deserves it,' _she thought. Harry's description of her nightmare ran through her brain like a movie being played over and over. She never really concentrated on the thing as a whole, but in pieces, much like one does with a puzzle.

_'Why would Voldemort choose me to hold over Harry? I mean, I know we're best friends, but he's closer to Ron than he is to me. Could it be because I'm a mudblood?' _Not knowing specifics made Hermione edgy. Of course, knowing she could possibly be kidnapped by the dark side and tortured by the Dark Lord himself made her on edge, but she had entered this knowing that was a possibility. The edginess made Hermione get out of bed. She walked out of the tent to stand in the cool air, hoping it would slow her mind down. She hoped Harry wouldn't wake up and-

"'Mione?" a very tired Harry yawned. "Whatcha doing out here?"

Hermione stayed facing forward as Harry walked up behind her. "Just needed some fresh air is all. Go back to bed Harry." Harry ignored her and came behind her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

"You know I know you better than that 'Mione. What's got you up and about at an hour like this? What's the matter?" Harry rested his chin on Hermione's head.

"It's really nothing Harry." Harry took his chin off her head and looked down to see her face.

"It's the nightmare, isn't it?" he said softly. "You don't want to tell me, because you think it'll upset me." Hermione made to speak. "'Mione, you know I'm right. I know you, and I know what you tend to worry about. What's on your mind about this?" He looked at her expectantly for an answer. Hermione looked away from his face and to the ground.

"I'm wondering why Voldemort would choose to come after me."

"You're my best friend." Harry stated, as thought that were obvious.

"Yes, but I'm second to Ron, not first. I'm thinking it might be because I'm a Mudblood. Or maybe it's because I'm supposedly the smartest-"

"Hermione. Stop. You shouldn't think that. 'Mione, I may have met Ron first, but you're the one who's always been by my side and thought of what's best for me, even when I haven't. In my eyes, you're first." Harry said it as thought it were the simplest concept in the world. But to Hermione, it meant the world.

"Thank you Harry."

"Anytime love. Now let's go to bed, I'm beat."

They both went back inside the tent and lay down. Harry could hear Hermione fall asleep within minutes, but he lay awake. He knew why Voldemort wanted her and not Ron. Oh, he knew exactly why.

Remus, Moody, and their group of ragamuffins came up on a dark, stone castle in the middle of the forest. It was exactly like most of old Europe's castles- turrets, a huge wall, and the like.

"Moody, scan it with your eye. What do you see?" Remus asked.

"The place has all manner of spells on it. There's one to keep from seeing it from afar and from above. By the time it becomes visible, you're toast."

"Explains why we missed it earlier." Everyone nodded in agreement with Remus's statement. Though it was unspoken, there was a recognition within the group that this was where Voldemort was hiding out. And no one was happy about it. Storming a castle, so to speak, was not easy, especially one where the most powerful Dark Wizard in time was hiding out. Voldemort was sure to have hordes of Deatheaters ready to greet them. Remus turned toward the group.

"Okay, we're going to camp out close by and get some rest. In the morning, we'll attack. Now, we're too small to split up. We're going to have to go in swift and hard. Everyone got it?" Everyone nodded. "Alright, everyone get some rest. We're going to have a long day tomorrow."

**Finite.**

**DM1301**


	7. Capture

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Clearly...**

**Sorry for such a long wait! I wanted a longer chapter, but I had to figure out where it wanted to go, and that took a while! I forced my self to sit down with a cup of good tea and my music and finish this today before I worked on anything else. I hope you enjoy it!**

**DarkMoon1301**

**Capture**

The next day dawned bleak and gray, as though it knew what the coming day was going to hold. The air was still and the area was silent as the band of fighters stirred, slowly waking up. The makeshift camp slowly came to life as people stumbled about packing and making breakfast. Remus sat at the little campfire that had been made the night before, staring into the flames. Arthur Weasley came and sat next to him.

"What's the matter Remus?" He asked. He was asking out of concern for a friend, rather than a soldier to his leader.

Remus spoke, still staring into the flames. "I'm worried about Harry and Hermione," he said. "How can we be sure if they're safe, that they're even alive?"

Arthur put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "We would know if anything happened to them. Not only would Voldemort be on a happy rampage, but we would be able to feel it. And I feel that they're perfectly safe." He smiled at Remus. "Don't you?"

Remus turned to his friend with a small smile on his face. "Yes, you're right." He stood and Arthur followed suit. "I'm turning into a worrying old codger!" Both men laughed. "Come on, let's go find Moody and see if he's got anything for us. We'll have to leave soon."

The two men walked through the camp in silence, listening to the rest of the men and women packing up their campsites. The whole camp had an air of foreboding around it. Everyone was unsure of what was coming and, of course, whether they'd live through it. It was a tricky thing, being a fighter. A fighter gave up everything- their home, their security, and for some, their life. They gave it all up to keep their families and friends and even those they didn't know tucked safe in bed. They gave it all up to keep liberty and freedom alive, even if it wasn't always appreciated. They willingly gave up themselves without knowing if they would win, but at the same knowing that either way, it was most definitely worth it. As the time of battle approached, each fighter was thinking of what they were fighting for- their family, their true love, their freedom.

Remus and Arthur found Moody sitting by his little campfire, all his things already packed. "Moody! What's the plan?" Remus asked as he and Arthur sat next to him.

"We're going to do this the old fashioned way. Walk in blasting." All three men looked at each other.

"Are you sure that's wise Moody?"

"Do you have a better idea Remus?" Moody asked, annoyance tinging his voice. His question was met with silence. "I thought so. We move out soon as everyone's packed and ready to go." All three men stood and Remus and Arthur went to go spread the word. Sure enough, within minutes everyone was ready to go. They left all their belongings where they lay and began the long march to the front gate, where they were sure an army of Death Eaters would be waiting to greet them.

OoOoOo

That same morning, Harry woke to find Hermione sitting in an armchair staring into space. Harry rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and put on his glasses.

"Hermione?" She didn't answer. "Hermione?" She still didn't answer. He got up and stood in front of her. "Hermione!" She looked up at him in surprise, finally coming out of her little trance.

"Harry! What's the matter?"

"What's the matter with me? What about you? I just woke up and you were sitting here staring into space. What time is it anyway?"

"Seven thirty in the morning. Breakfast is on the table for you." Hermione's eyes settled into her far away place again.

"Seven thirty?" Harry muttered as he walked away. "We're usually out by five. And what's this?" He looked at his breakfast. "Bacon? Eggs? Toast?" He looked back at the chair Hermione was in with an incredulous look. _'What in the world is wrong with her?' _he thought. She only ever seriously cooked when she was upset or had a lot on her mind. Harry sat down and ate in silence, thinking of all the things that might possibly be wrong with Hermione. After he finished and put his dishes away, he went and got dressed for the day. When he came back, Hermione was still sitting in the exact same position. Frustrated, he strode confidently over to her. She looked at him as he came to stand by his side.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked. She stood up and made her way to move around him, seeing as he wasn't going to let her by, but he grabbed her arms and made stand still.

"Hermione, what is going on? You've barely moved since I've woken up, you let me sleep way past the usual time, and you even cooked me breakfast. What's going on?" She looked at him with a bit of shock on her face, which quickly melted into a small, sad smile.

"Harry," she put her hand on the side of his face, "believe me, I would tell you if I could. But I can't." Her thumb stroked his cheek.

"Why?" He whispered. "You know you can tell me anything Hermione. Why not this time?"

"Because Voldemort can see into your mind Harry, and this is something I don't want him to know." She kissed his cheek. "I promise I won't scare you like that again, alright?" She smiled. "Now let's get going. We're way off my original schedule." She chuckled and walked away, leaving Harry with a hundred questions running through his head.

After a moment, his senses came back to him and he went to follow after Hermione. After they packed everything up, they set off once again on their journey, which still consisted of Hermione wandering in circles with a muggle compass and Harry dutifully following. This, of course, let Harry think for a little while undisturbed.

_'I wonder what had Hermione so distracted this morning. She looked as though she were planning something... then again, with her being a girl and all, maybe she was just fantasizing. Oh no... what if... what if she's in love with a wizard and she wants to marry him after the war and she's afraid Voldemort will kill him and that's why she won't tell me?' _For a moment, that was all Harry could think about; that after the war, Hermione was going to marry some smart and witty wizard and leave him behind. _'If I'm even around to be left. I may not live...'_

"Hermione?" Harry suddenly asked.

"Hm?" she answered, most of her concentration focused on her map and compass.

"What do you want to do after the war?"

"I haven't the slightest idea Harry." she distractedly said.

"Hermione." She stopped and looked at him and the desperation she heard in his voice. "You must know. Knowing you, you have an entire plan laid out until the day you die." Hermione smiled, and sighed, knowing he wouldn't let this go until she answered.

"Not quite that far Mr. Potter." She smiled. "I think I'd like to get married, and have children. Maybe become a mediwitch, or own my own bookstore. I haven't quite decided yet." They continued walking, although Hermione was now fully focused on Harry and his questions.

"So do you like anybody?"He looked at her expectantly. She blushed.

"Well, yes."

"Didja tell him before we left? You know, so he could be your knight in shining armor awaiting your return and all that?" Harry asked nonchalantly. Hermione blushed harder.

"No, I didn't tell him. I doubt I ever will."

"Why not?" Harry put his hands in his pockets.

"Because he couldn't ever like me like that. And besides, I think he likes someone else." She looked saddened by that thought.

"Why do you like him?" Harry asked, trying to cheer her up a little even though it brought him down in the process.

Hermione smiled. "He's amazing. He's always there for me, without fail. He's kind, and brave, and smart," she got a dreamy look on her face, "and he has the most gorgeous eyes I've ever seen. And his smile just... lights up my day."

"He sounds perfect." Harry said sadly. Hermione didn't catch his tone, but laughed instead.

"Not hardly! He's a hothead, and he yells at me sometimes when I'm only trying to help him. His hair is completely unmanageable and he'd rather be on a broom than doing his homework. But I wouldn't trade him for anything." She smiled dreamily. "Oh dear." One of her hands flew up to her mouth in shock. "I've said way too much!" She laughed.

_'She really does love him... he sounds like Ron... or me even... maybe she likes me after all... Hm... I should tell her. If I don't make it out of this alive, I'll want her to know how I truly felt.' _"Hermione?"

"Yes, Harry?" Hermione was back to her map again.

"I need to tell you something. I, uhm, I really-"

"Well well well, what do we have here?" A cold voice said from the woods around them. "A Mudblood, and Potty! How delightful, how delightful indeed." Harry and Hermione whirled around towards the sound of the voice. Lucius Malfoy strode out of the woods with his team of Death Eaters around him.

"What do you want Malfoy?" Hermione said in a venomous tone.

Malfoy began circling around them while his Death Eaters made a circle around the three of them. "I just wanted to drop by, and say hello. I was strolling along and heard the two of you talking." He stopped in front of Hermione and snapped his fingers. Two Death Eaters came up and forced her hands behind her back, and two more did the same to Harry. Lucius tucked a lock of Hermione's hair behind her ear. "I overheard your little speech about Potter. You could hear the sugar hitting the ground it was dripping off your words so much." He cocked his head.

"Get away from her Malfoy!" Harry struggled against his captors, but couldn't get loose. Lucius turned his attention to Harry and strode over to stand in front of him. He lifted his wand and pointed it behind him towards Hermione.

"Crucio." Lucius Malfoy smiled evilly as Hermione's screams of pain rang through the forest.

"Hermione!" Harry screamed. "Stop it! Stop hurting her!" With a flick of his wrist, Lucius made the curse stop, but not before the pain caused Hermione to pass out. The last thing Harry saw before Lucius gave to order to drug Harry and leave him somewhere was the Death Eaters taking Hermione to God only knew where.


	8. Dream Can Come True

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Harry Potter. I mostly likely never will.**

**Sorry this is so late! School's beat me to death and then brought me back to life to suck finals out of me. Good news: I got a 3.62 GPA! Bad news: This is late! I am so very sorry! But, all the same, enjoy, and Happy New Year!**

**Much love and cupcakes,**

**DarkMoon1301**

**Dreams Can Come True**

The band of fighters marched towards the castle. They could see the Death Eaters already lining up, though they were still a ways away. Fear was rippling through the little group, but no one would admit out loud that they were afraid they wold lose. The admission would jinx it.

"Remember, we may not live, but we're doing this for Harry. He needs to be able to get through to Voldemort. Fight till the end." Remus said. They marched steadily on.

Soon, they reached the castle. They lined up at stared down the Death Eaters, wondering who would fire first.

"Hold your ground. Wands at the ready. Do not fire. I repeat, do NOT fire." Moody said.

Malfoy appeared in the middle of the Death Eaters. "Would you like to surrender now? It's in your best interests, I assure you." An evil smirk planted itself on his cold face.

Moody stepped forward, his steely eyes boring holes into Malfoy. "We'd rather die."

Malfoy sighed. "Then die you shall." He said with a smile on his face. He turned to walk away. "Kill them." He called over his shoulder.

The Death Eaters rained curses upon the light fighters as they tried to fight back.

OoOoOo

Voldemort sat staring into the fire, petting Nagini as she slithered around his torso. "Oh, I can't wait until our visitors arrive, Nagini, I simply cannot wait. This will be the most fun I've had in years. I wonder if the Mudblood will scream in terror. I do hope she does. It will help torture Potter." Voldemort lapsed back into silence as he pondered the torture of his soon to arrive guests, the only sounds around him being that of the crackling fire and the sounds of the battle downstairs.

OoOoOo

Hermione was slowly waking up. Her eyes cracked open slightly, but once the light hit them she closed them and groaned. _'If this is what a hangover feels like I hope I never get one,' _she thought. She slowly opened her eyes and let them adjust to the light. Somewhere behind her, a door closed with a heavy thud. Hermione started to notice a dull pain in her shoulders. She tilted her head up. She saw that she was chained with medieval age manacles to a stone ceiling. She looked around her and saw that she was in a stone room, and she was hanging in the middle of the room. She heard faint yells of various spells outside. _'Those sound like they're... _below_ me. Am I in... am I in a _tower_?' _Before she could ponder any further on the thought, another struck her. _'Where's Harry?' _She twisted frantically, trying to see around the room to see if Harry was with her. While she was doing so, the door reopened and closed. She heard footsteps behind her, but couldn't see the person coming up on her. She heard them stop behind her, and felt a wand poke into her back.

"Looking for Harry, are we? You won't find him in here, I can assure you that. No, I want you to die all alone, save for me of course. But I don't believe dying in the company of the man torturing and killing you really counts as not dying alone. What do you think?" Hermione had never heard this voice before, but she could tell it was a man. A madman, at that. She felt the wand leave her back, and her killer walked around to stand in front of her. He put his wand under her chin and lifted her head. Her eyes narrowed and she realized who he was, who he must be.

"Voldemort." Her single word was spoken with steel.

An evil grin spread across Voldemort's face. "I wasn't sure you would know me. Though, I must correct you. It's _Lord_ Voldemort. And they say you're the brightest witch of your age!" His grin grew more pronounced.

Hermione smirked. "It seems I'm smarter than you at least. Last I checked your birth certificate read Tom. Marvalo. Riddle." She accented each part of his name, and a scowl grew on Voldemort's face with each accent.

"That," he hissed, "is no longer my name. _Crucio._" Hermione screamed as the unbelievable pain she felt what seemed like months ago in the forest hit her yet again.

OoOoOo

Loud, pained screams woke Harry from his unconsciousness. He bolted upright, and frantically looked for his wand. Finding it right next to him, he looked at his surroundings. He was in a stone room with some hay, a patch of which he had just been laying on. In front of him was a, what looked to be very heavy, wooden door. Harry stood up and looked around the little room. _'Where's Hermione?' _He rushed to the door and yanked it open. He was right, it was heavy, and it took all the strength he could muster to open it. The screams now sounded louder. _'That has to be Hermione!' _Harry started blindly running through what he assumed was a castle, chasing after the screams. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wondered why the castle was so empty.

"Hermione!" Harry screamed, trying in vain to find her. "Hermione!" He came to the end of a hall. It had a corridor to the left, and one to the right. Hermione's screams were coming from the left. Harry ran down the hall. At the very end was a flight of stairs spiraling upwards. Harry dashed up them. Hermione's screams stopped. He ran faster. After what seemed like an eternity to him, he reached the top. There was another heavy wooden door. He pushed it open. He immediately saw Hermione. She now hung against the farthest wall. He ran to her.

"Hermione!" He stood in front of her. She had cuts on her face, along with tears that were still spilling from her eyes. He took her face in his hands. "Hermione. Speak to me. Please." His voice was a wavering plead. _'This is exactly like my dream,' _he thought. _'It's coming true. No no no no, it can't!'_

"Harry?" Hermione's weak voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Hermione! Hermione, who did this to you? Was it Voldemort?"

"Harry, I don't- I don't think I can-" Harry cut her off.

"Don't you dare Hermione. You'll make it out of here alive, if it's the last thing I do." His voice was sharp steel. Harry made to release her from her chains when he heard an all too familiar voice.

"Tsk, tsk, Potter. Did you really think it would be this easy? You should know better by now." Harry turned to see Voldemort looking relaxed, almost bored.

Harry's eyes narrowed to mere slits. "Voldemort, you let her go. This is just between me and you, she has nothing to do with it."

"On the contrary Potter, she has everything to do with it. She's your best friend. I wonder what you'd do without her..." Harry wondered what Voldemort would do. Surely he wouldn't kill her just yet, this was just getting started. Suddenly, Hermione's screams pierced the air. Harry spun around to see her body convulsing with pain. Her face was facing the ceiling, twisted in agony. He spun to face Voldemort once more. Voldemort smiled, a chilling, evil smile.

"Don't worry Harry, there's much more to come. And when I'm done, she'll be dead, and you'll be all alone."

OoOoOo

The light fighters were holding their own, but the Death Eaters clearly had the upper hand.

"What is making them fight so hard?" yelled Moody.

"I don't know! They seem happy about something!" Remus yelled back. Suddenly, they heard screams pierce the air. It almost made all the light fighters freeze.

"Hermione," whispered Arthur. "That has to be Hermione."

All the light fighters exchanged worried looks as they kept fighting. All of them were wondering the same thing, but none could bring themselves to say it: If Hermione was in there, where was Harry?


	9. All Your Fault

**Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter. I just own a five pound bar of chocolate.**

**Hello, readers! It's been way too long, hasn't it? -sad face- But I do have an explanation for my absence. Please go to my profile and get the URL to my tumblr page. I put my explanation there so as to not clog the story. Speaking of, let's continue, shall we? I imagine only a couple chapters left (hopefully I can finish this month!). As always...**

**Much love and cupcakes,**

**DarkMoon1301**

**All Your Fault**

Outside, curses were flying left and right. If a fighter won against his opponent, another came along before they could take a breath. Screams were being heard and people were falling everywhere.

Arthur, Moody, and Remus were all back to back. "We need to break through!" yelled Moody as he stupified a Death Eater.

"And how do you suggest we do that? We're a little preoccupied!" Remus yelled back.

"We need Harry! Where is he?" yelled Arthur.

All three men knew this was hopeless without Harry. The questions was... just where was he?

OoOoOo

"You will never take her from me," Harry said, venom dripping from his words. "I won't let you."

"Oh really? Because I've already done it once. That's why she's here, isn't it?" A flash of guilt passed on Harry's face. Voldemort smiled. "Feel guilty, Potter? I can only imagine the guilt you'll feel when I kill her. Just think... if she had never met you, she wouldn't be chained to that wall. You're the reason she's in pain. You've let others fight your battles. Cedric Diggory... Sirius Black... even your own parents. How does it feel Potter? How does it feel to know it's all your fault that those people are dead?" His evil grin grew. Harry's wand seemed to lower of it's own free will as he contemplated what Voldemort said. He was right. It was all his fault. He'd known it all along, but to have someone call him out on it, especially the man he hated most, was just too much.

"It's not Harry's fault. It's never been Harry's fault. It's yours." Frail as she was, Hermione's voice was filled with conviction. She made herself meet Voldemort's gaze. "You killed them. Not Harry. You kidnapped me. Not Harry. Harry is more of a man than you could ever hope to be," Hermione panted.

Anger flashed through Voldemort's eyes. "Well, we'll just have to see Mudblood. If Harry isn't too guilty and isn't wallowing in self pity, he'll meet me in the clearing in half an hour." With that, Voldemort vanished.

Harry waited a moment to make sure he was really gone before turning to Hermione. He lightly grabbed her face. "Hermione? Love, you'll be alright, I promise." Hermione groaned in response. Harry got her out of the chains and laid her on the ground.

"Don't believe him Harry," Hermione said softly. "He's wrong. It's not your fault."

Harry stroked her hair. "Shh, I know Hermione, I know." He smiled. "I'll have to go soon. I'll come back for you, I promise." He saw tears come to her eyes. She shook her head a little.

"I don't want you to." She drew a wavered breath. "You had better come back to me Harry James Potter." A tear slid down her face and into her hair. "I don't know what I'll do if you don't," she whispered. Her eyes began to flutter. She was slowly slipping into unconsciousness. She hoped it wasn't forever. "I love you, Harry," she said softly before closing her eyes.

Harry smiled, and kissed her forehead. "I love you too, Hermione, and I swear to you I'll come back."

Harry stood, smiled at Hermione one more time, and walked out the door to go face Voldemort for the last time in his life.


End file.
